Page 39 of The Sunken Truth
His shoulders bunched up again. “I trust Benji completely. He’s worked for me for years. I know his family well. There’s no chance he’d do something like this.”
“And Kurt?” Lily asked. “Harry suggested he could be unreliable.”
“Apparently he worked for Harry last summer,” Flynn added, “but he wouldn’t take him back this year.”
His eyebrows shifted together. “That’s what he’s saying, is it?”
“Isn’t it true?” Flynn asked.
“From the rumours going around, the real reason he didn’t take Kurt on again was because he couldn’t afford to employ anyone. I don’t think it was anything against Kurt. He gave him a written reference when he left at the end of last summer and there was nothing in it to suggest he wouldn’t have him back again.”
“You think he’s having financial problems?” Lily asked.
“That’s what I heard. Him not hiring anyone for the summer seems to confirm it. If it’s true, it would certainly have made Eustace’s offer appealing for him.” Hesighed heavily. “Honestly, I wish he had nothing to do with my hose being cut, but I really can’t see who else it could have been.”
“You didn’t say how you feel about Kurt,” Flynn remarked. “You said you trust Benji, but what about Kurt?”
“I don’t have much of an opinion, other than he’s capable and competent.”
“Maybe it was him,” Lily suggested. “I heard he likes to travel around, taking casual jobs. That sounds like the sort of person who’d be keen for some quick cash.”
Ryan shrugged.
“I think it’d be worth questioning him again,” Flynn said.
“It couldn’t have been him,” Ryan said. “Whether I trust him is irrelevant. He was with Benji. If he’d cut my hose, or even been out of Benji’s sight at that time, I’d know about it.”
The front door opened and Benji sauntered in, his lips set in a small smile under the shade of his cap.
“The boat’s ready for this afternoon’s trip,” he said, dropping his backpack onto the window seat. His eyes flashed with surprise when he registered Lily and Flynn. “Oh, hi. Everything okay?”
“They were just asking a few more questions about this morning,” Ryan said. “Where’s Kurt?”
“He had a headache. Said he was going to go home and lie down for a bit.”
Ryan’s eyebrows rose. “Maybe he’s not so reliable after all. Not that it matters since I’ve cancelled this afternoon’s dive.”
“Really?” Benji rocked on the balls of his feet. “Because we can’t dive the shipwreck?”
“No, because my equipment failed this morning and I need to go through that boat and all the equipment to make sure everything is safe for use.”
Lily tilted her head. “You insisted someone cut the hose,”she pointed out, confused that he was referring to it as equipment failure.
“I think they did,” he said, leaning against the counter. “But until I know for sure what happened, I won’t be taking any chances.” His eyes darted to Flynn. “Which reminds me – could I get a police report for my insurance?”
Flynn’s eyebrows drew together. “You can, but I don’t see why they’d need one. They should pay up for the damaged equipment without any fuss.”
“It’s not just the equipment.” His gaze dropped to the floor. “If I have to shut up shop for a few days, I’ll need to make a claim for loss of income.”
“A few days?” Benji asked, surprise written all over his features. “I’ve already checked over the rest of the equipment. It’s all fine.”
Ryan folded his arms across his chest. “There’s also the potential that someone is sabotaging dive equipment. Until we know for sure what happened, I won’t feel comfortable taking dive groups out.”
“So, you’re going to close indefinitely?” Lily asked.
“I don’t know how long I’ll close for. All I’m saying is that it currently doesn’t feel safe to dive and I won’t put lives at risk. Can I get a police report or not?”
Slowly, Flynn nodded. “I can’t see that being a problem.” He turned to Benji. “I just want to check something. On the dive this morning, was Kurt with you the entire time?”
